The Hero Rises
by JustValeP
Summary: 'That scream, that "PROTEGO," didn't only mean that her mum had been saved. It also meant that Harry – her Harry, her hero – was, somehow, back amongst the living.' The week after the Battle of Hogwarts wasn't easy for anyone, but Harry and the Weasleys coped in the best way possible: surrounded by family and loved ones.


_Stand__ard disclaimer__ applies._

_Happy Birthday Harry!_

**The Hero Rises**

When Harry looked at his future, all he could see was the upcoming war. He could see himself looking for the Horcruxes, trying to destroy them and maybe – just maybe – being able to defeat the darkest and greatest wizard the world had ever seen.

When Ginny looked at her future, she could see the war, yes. But she could also see what would come afterwards. She could see Harry returning to her. She could imagine him kissing her and holding her in his arms for the rest of their lives. She could picture her hero down on one knee, asking her to marry him and she could see herself jumping into his arms and saying that she would. Behind her closed eyelids, she could imagine herself walking down the aisle, gripping her father's arm and then, in no time at all, Harry and her vowing their undying love with an "I do." She could picture the most beautiful kids you'll ever see: some had black hair, some were redheads, but all of them had emerald green eyes.

And then, in the blink of an eye, her dreams came crashing down.

Wasn't it enough that she had been tortured countless times during the last year? Wasn't it enough that she had to see the bodies of Colin, Lupin, Tonks and Fred – Fred! Her own brother! – lying in the Great Hall next to the other fallen warriors? No. She also had to see Harry – _her_ Harry, her hero – stretched out at the feet of that... that… serpent-like humanoid despicable _monster_.

That's when her world just… fell apart; when living became unworthy. Afterwards, she would remember seeing Voldemort and his Death Eaters walk towards them as though they owned the place; as though they had already won. And for Ginny, they _had_ already won. After all, there was no reason to fight, since her loved one had fallen. Her dreams were being slowly annihilated, destroyed, eradicated, as her brain processed what her eyes were seeing and her ears were listening. "NO!" It couldn't be. Not Harry! Not her Harry! "HARRY!"

He was dead.

Dead.

He left her. _HE LEFT HER!_

He was supposed to come back! He was supposed to return to her and love her. Marry her and give her a home and a family of their own and the peace she had been craving for years.

She had never even told him she loved him. And now she never would be able to.

And then, the battle began again. Apparently, they weren't going to surrender. No. They _shouldn't_ surrender. She wasn´t going to let those who had fallen die in vain.

So she fought. And who was a better person to fight against than Bellatrix herself? The Death Eater who had killed Sirius and Tonks. The psychopath who had destroyed Neville's parents. She saw a green flash of light miss her by inches and before she could even realize how close she had been – again – to joining Fred and Harry in the otherworld, her mother was standing there, pointing at Bellatrix with her wand and screaming "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

Ginny had never been more scared in her life than when Voldemort realized that his most fervent follower had fallen and then directed his wand at Molly Weasley, planning to kill her himself. But then, the unbelievable happened. In one single instant, she felt her heart reconstruct itself. That scream, that "PROTEGO," didn't only mean that her mum had been saved. It also meant that Harry – _her _Harry, her hero – was, somehow, back amongst the living.

Because there he was, with his wand in his right hand and the Invisibility Cloak in his left. He stood in the middle of the Great Hall, performing one of the most impressing Shield Charms she had ever seen. And then he began to talk. He said a lot of things that nobody – except for Hermione and Ron, probably – understood. Of course, he would explain everything to Ginny later.

While they battled, Ginny was once again scared to death. He had just returned to the world of the living, and now he was facing Lord Voldemort! What if he died? What if Harry got killed? It's not as though she didn't have confidence in him, but her mind couldn't help but wonder _what if?_

What felt like hours later – those two turned out to be worst than a bunch of gossipy old women – the real action finally started. And it lasted about ten seconds. Voldemort, eventually infuriated, yelled "_Avada Kedavra_," and Harry answered with his usual and ever-present "_Expelliarmus_."

Surprisingly – or was it _un_surprisingly? – the wand left Voldemort's hand and made its way eagerly to Harry's. As a true Seeker, he caught it easily. And Voldemort fell.

Tom Riddle got hit by his own spell, which had ricocheted. And just like that, he was dead. The man who had been the leading character of every witch and wizard's nightmares for half a century was _dead_.

And their hero – _her_ Harry – was being engulfed in a sea of hugs, handshakes and pats on the back. Ginny was lucky enough to be one of the first ones to hug him. But that's all she could to at the time being. There would be time to talk later, hours and days and maybe years in which to talk.1

Oh, forget it. Ginny was not exactly a _patient_ person. She waited as he got congratulated. She mourned on her mother's shoulder while looking at Ron and Hermione walk towards the door of the Great Hall next to what seemed to be Harry's shoes – that idiot had forgotten to make sure his feet were correctly hidden by the Invisibility Cloak. – She waited for him to come back with his two best friends. But by the time Ron and Hermione returned _alone_, her patience had already been tempted with long enough.

"Where is he?" she asked, rather grumpily, standing in front of the redhead and his brunette.

"Sleeping" Hermione answered, eyeing her with badly concealed pity.

"He said he was going to ask Kreacher for a sandwich and then go to bed. That is, if Kreacher's still awake" added Ron.

Luckily for Ginny, he wasn't. And seeing as how he was starving, Harry decided to walk downstairs _again_ and return to the Great Hall, where they had been serving food earlier. This time, he made his big entrance without his cloak. Some people began to approach him. Bad for them that he only had eyes for one girl. Once his eyes and Ginny's locked, the rest on the world disappeared for him. Ginny circumvented Ron and Hermione and began to walk towards her loved one.

Suddenly, it was just like the party that had taken place one year ago after the last Quidditch match of the season; except that this was happening in the Great Hall instead of the Gryffindor common room.

Harry practically run towards her, and once he finally reached her, they hugged and kissed as if there was no tomorrow, as if there was no one else in the room, as if they hadn't seen each other for nine months – which they hadn't. – After what felt like years later, they broke apart. Everyone began to clap and some even wolf-whistled. Molly began to cry silently, while all the male Weasleys – except for Ron – looked open-mouthed at the couple.

"I should hit you for scaring me like that! What were you _thinking_? How could you go away to the forest by yourself, just like that, to sacrifice yourself?" she yelled at him, hysterically, and began to sob on his shoulder. Only those who were near him, such as the Weasleys, could hear what she had said.

"I've got the feeling there's something I don't know," said the eldest brother.

"Seriously, Bill!" answered Ron, sounding exasperated. Honestly, he was enjoying the fact that, for once in his life, _he_ was not being the slow one.

Hermione gave Ron a reproachful look, but when he beamed at her, she couldn't help but smile back. She did roll her eyes at him, though. She explained to the ignorant members of the family – everyone but Ron and Molly – how those two had been dating during the end of Harry's sixth and Ginny's fifth year.

Meanwhile, Harry promised Ginny to explain _everything_ that had been going on during the last year. But he also asked her to let him postpone the explanations for the day after. First, he wanted to eat and rest. He also wanted to wait until the Weasleys were together and alone, for they also deserved to hear the complete story. Not to mention the fact that he could use Ron and Hermione's help for narrating what had happened.

She agreed begrudgingly and they sat down on the bench next to the mourning family of redheads. The Weasley man clearly didn't know whether to glare at Harry or not. On one hand, he was the git who was dating the baby of the family. On the other hand, he was the saviour of the world. He was no git at all. In fact, they all trusted him with their lives. He had already saved Ginny's life at least once. And the way he looked at her! Could that possibly be love?

Ginny wasn't about to get her hands away from him, so she seated comfortably sideways on his lap, not caring what her family had to say about it. Harry was halfway through his second sandwich, eyeing his adoptive family apprehensively, when Ginny moved. She shifted her hand from Harry's shoulder to his back and hugged him tightly, pressing herself against his torso. Feeling an unbearable blast of pain from the very centre of his chest, he jolted and pushed Ginny away from him, almost doping her to the floor.

"Harry? What wrong?"

"It's nothing" he mumbled, knowing there was no way he would be able to lie to his girlfriend, but not wishing to be scolded for not getting his injuries checked up by one of the healers who had arrived about half an hour ago.

"Harry," she said, sounding severe. When he didn't answer, she began to unbutton his shirt, ignoring the gasps, "Oi!"s and "Ginny!"s from her horrified brothers. When she saw his chest, she inhaled sharply and covered her mouth with her hands.

In a swift movement, she stood up and pulled Harry up with her. "I'm taking you to the infirmary. I bet you... you idiot, noble git didn't even think about going to the Hospital Wing."

"There are people in far worst conditions than mine."

"Those who were seriously injured have already been taken to St Mungo's. And anyway, _worst conditions_?" she shrieked "I knew it! I just _knew it_! What you said while you were fighting Voldemort. It sounded as though you had been hit by the Killing Curse," she said rather loudly. Luckily, there was a lot of noise in the Great Hall and no one other than the Weasleys could hear her.

Without uttering another word, she began to drag him to the double doors and towards the Hospital Wing. Ron and Hermione looked at each other and followed the mad redhead and her victim silently.

Ginny's anger was nothing compared to Madam Pomfrey's. Harry's shirt was still unbuttoned, so as soon as they arrived at the infirmary, the mediwitch got a complete view of his injured chest. She made him sit on a stretcher and explain briefly all his injuries: the mark the locket had left in his chest, the cut in his throat made by Ron with the Gryffindor Sword, the wound caused by the Killing Curse, the many burns acquired during their adventure in Gringotts and the countless slashes caused by flying debris.

When he mentioned the fact that Hermione and Ron were covered with burns too, and that his four companions had as many cuts as him – if not more – Madam Pomfrey checked them up briefly. She needed to cover those wounds with pastes, but all of it would be pointless if they showered once they left. And they most definitively needed a shower. A simple cleaning charm wouldn't do, not even Professor Flitwick would have been able to clean the mess they had become during the battle. So, after fixing Harry's two broken ribs – he was sure Voldemort had caused those with his Killing Curse – and giving them some Pepper Up potion, she shooed them and asked them to return as soon as they were clean.

The four of them were filthy, tired and sore, thus the nice short shower turned into a long otherworldly shower that relaxed their muscles and washed away tears, blood and dirt. Once they were clean, they met in the infirmary. There, Madam Pomfrey made both girls sit on one bed and both boys sit on another one. She conjured curtains around the stretchers to give them some privacy and then asked them to strip until they were only in underwear.

Then, she began to cover them with an orange paste, looking outraged when she found out that Ron had had his shoulder splinched and hadn't mentioned anything before. She also told them that their wounds probably wouldn't disappear completely and that some of the burns would surely leave permanent scars. Afterwards, she wrapped them up with bandages until they looked like mummies and let them dress up again.

Molly Weasley, worried about the fact that the kids hadn't returned, made her way to the infirmary with the rest of the family following her. All of them needed a good night of sleep – day, in fact, seeing as how the sun had already risen. – They were planning to check on Ginny, Ron, Harry and Hermione and go to bed as soon as Madam Pomfrey freed them. When they arrived at the Hospital Wing, they found Ron and Harry dressed up in clean clothes that Hermione had taken from her handbag. Seconds later, the girls appeared from behind the curtains. Madam Pomfrey discharged them but ordered them to return as soon as they woke up. Before leaving, a healer offered them some dreamless sleep potion, which they accepted gladly.

The eleven of them made their way to the Gryffindor common room hoping to find some empty beds. Luckily, the seventh year boy's dormitory was uninhabited. When Ron and Hermione got in Ron's old bed together, Mrs Weasley knew better than to complain. She understood how much they needed to hold each other after the horrific night they had been through.

Harry made a beeline to his own bed and Ginny followed him unabashedly. The boys looked as though they wanted to complain, but a scolding look from Ron – _Ron!_ – made them shut up. After all, he knew better than anyone else how much those two loved each other. While they were dating, Ron had seen Harry turn into a carefree normal happy teenager and Ginny become a giggling girl who wasn't haunted any more by the memories from her hideous first year at Hogwarts.

Ginny curled up next to Harry and he held her in his arms. They fell asleep almost instantly, but Ginny could swear that before unconsciousness claimed her, she heard a voice that sounded just like Harry's whisper "I love you."

* * *

Harry woke up fourteen hours later, at about nine p.m. Not the best time to wake up, if you ask me. He still had a redhead sleeping between his arms, looking as beautiful as ever. It was a sight that left him breathless; a sight he has been missing for nine months. He kissed her forehead but didn't disturb her in any other way, even though he needed to use the loo and he was starving.

He was lying down on his left side, so he could see Mr and Mrs Weasley sleeping together in the adjacent bed, which had been enlarged so the married couple could fit in it comfortably. The next bed was occupied by Fleur and Bill and the other ones by Charlie, Percy and George, respectively. They had clearly multiplied the beds before going to sleep.

No more than five minutes later, he could hear someone moving behind him and turned in time to see Hermione stir and disentangle herself from Ron.

"Morning," she whispered as she stood up and walked to the bathroom.

When he turned around, he found himself staring at the most beautiful big chocolate brown eyes he had ever seen.

"Hi there," he said in a hoarse voice, and she answered by brushing her lips softly against his. "I missed you so much," he told her. "While we were gone, every night I'd take the Marauders Map and stare at your dot in the girls' dormitory, hoping you were okay and thinking of me."

"Oh, Harry! I missed you so much, too! I missed your hugs, your kisses, your smiles, the way your eyes shone... _shine_ when you look at me," she corrected herself. She sobbed and hid her face in his neck. "I thought I'd never see you again. I thought you were _dead_!"

"I know. I'm sorry. I had too, I promise. I'll explain everything. I swear I will." He kissed her forehead and inhaled happily her flowery smell while rubbing her back.

While both of them took their turns to go to the bathroom, Ron woke up. Once the four of them were ready, they made their way silently out of the room and towards the Great Hall. They ate quietly and visited Madam Pomfrey, as told. She un-mummified them and told them that those scars which weren't gone by now would probably stay forever.

Harry was glad to see that the bruise in his chest had disappeared. On the other hand, now that it was gone he could see a scar that resembled the one that he had in his forehead. The Killing Curse.

Just like the lightning in his forehead, that scar was never going to disappear, nor would the mark the locket of Slytherin had left, the imprint in his left hand which red 'I must not tell lies' or some of the burns caused by the Lestrange's treasure.

As a matter of fact, the three members of the golden trio would forever have several burns every here and there because of their adventure in Gringotts.

The scar Bellatrix left in Hermione's left arm – the one that red Mudblood – would never heal completely, either.

Same goes to the marks left by the tentacled-brain on Ron in his fifth year, but he already knew that. And, of course, the scar in his left shoulder because of the splinching incident would be forever in his skin.

Ginny had some long scars in her arms, legs and back, but at least her face was miraculously untouched, except for a small half-moon shaped mark hidden behind her right ear.

The war heroes had their own set of war wounds and, one day, they would learn to look at them with pride, for those scars meant that they had fought with bravery and that they had helped to make the world a safer place.

* * *

Finally freed by Madam Pomfrey, they agreed to return to the Great Hall and check if any other Weasley had woken up with an empty stomach. As a matter of fact, all the redheads – and a blond part-Veela – were already reunited at one of the extremes of the Gryffindor table.

They looked heartbroken, yes. But they also looked less anxious and restless. The war was finally over and now they could live in peace, without worrying for other people's lives. Mrs Weasley was sure that once they arrived at the Burrow, they would see that the hands of her clock weren't pointing to 'mortal peril' anymore.

"Hi, everyone," Ginny said, trying to sound like her old self. She sat down next to Bill, and Harry placed himself next to her and put an arm around her waist. He wasn't planning on letting go of her _ever_ again and Ginny wasn't about to complain.

"When are we returning home, Mum?" Ron asked while he sat in front of Ginny, next to Hermione.

"Minerva told me there will be a commemorative act tomorrow at ten. We can leave afterwards."

"Good. I cannot believe I'm still tired. I mean, for how long did we sleep?"

"We needed our rest, Ron," said Hermione as she rested her head on his shoulder. Harry found unnerving how normal and strange it felt at the same time to watch them together like this. He had been waiting for it to happen for a _long_ time now. He was familiarized with the fact that they were meant to be together, but he had yet to get used to the idea of them dating. "The last couple of days have been eternal."

"The last couple of _years_ have been eternal" Harry corrected her.

Believe it or not, an hour later they were all asleep again.

But this time, they hadn't taken any potion for dreamless sleep. So, soon after midnight, the nightmares began.

The first one to wake up sweating and panting was Ron. The sight of Hermione lying in bed next to him was almost enough to calm him down. He held her tight, being careful not to wake her up. He could remember her screams in the Malfoy Manor. He hated to recall it. It was probably the worst memory he had, next to the image of Harry dead and the one of Fred being killed by that explosion.

Half an hour later, Ginny woke up with a jolt. Harry was holding her so tightly that the sudden movement made him rise. "Shh," he whispered, trying to comfort her. "I'm here. You're safe. We're safe. Everything will be okay." He knew it would take time, but, eventually, they were going to be just fine.

"Oh, Harry," she lamented, hugging him close. "You were dead."

"But I'm here now, and I'm not leaving you, I promise."

She nodded against his chest but didn't looser her grip on him. Eventually, about half an hour later, sleep claimed her again.

And so on and so forth, the inhabitants of the seventh year boys' dormitory kept waking up because of their nightmares before returning to the slumber.

* * *

They all woke up at about eight in the morning, showered, dressed up, and went to have breakfast. At ten o'clock, the commemorative act would begin. Thus, at half past-nine waves of people began to arrive. The protection that didn't allow people to Apparate in Hogwarts was lifted temporarily for the ceremony.

One of the first people to arrive was Andromeda Tonks. She looked heartbroken and tired. She was holding a blue bundle of blankets. Inside of it, Teddy was dozing peacefully. As soon as he saw her, Harry ran towards her with Ginny hot on his heels.

"Harry, dear."

"Mrs Tonks! How are you coping?"

"I'll be fine. Teddy is keeping me entertained, you know? Would you like to meet your godson?"

"I'd love to," Harry said, and Andromeda made him sit down before handing him the baby. Harry held Teddy as though it was the scariest thing he had ever done. Or maybe the _second_ scariest thing, for nothing had or would ever be scarier than walking into the Forbidden Forest to die.

"Relax," Mrs Tonks said. "He's not going to bite you. And you won't drop him. Here, put your hands like this," she told him while showing him how to hold a baby properly.

"Hey there, Teddy," he whispered once the baby was lying comfortably in his arms. The baby opened his eyes slowly but didn't utter a sound.

There was so much Harry wanted to tell him, but he didn't feel comfortable doing so in front of anyone else. And it wasn't as though Teddy would remember, anyway. He wanted to promise his godson that he would love him as a son of his own and to assure him he would be adored and taken care of, unlike Harry himself. The hero of the Wizarding World would make sure that Teddy had a happy life.

He also wanted to explain to the baby how brave his parents had been; how they had fought to make the world a safer place for their child. He knew that Teddy someday would feel resentful towards them: 'Why didn't they stay home with me?' he'd ask. 'Why did they go to fight and risk dying, knowing they would leave me forever?' And it'd cause pain him to ask that, for he'd know it'd be unfair on his part and he wouldn't like being mad at his deceased parents; but that's how he would feel like.

And Harry would tell him how his parents had only wanted the best for him and how they couldn't have just waited seated while everyone else fought. How they had wanted to make the world a safer place for him. And hopefully, with time, Teddy would understand. After all, although nobody knew it yet, Teddy himself would become a temerarious Auror someday.

Harry bent down to kiss Teddy's forehead and the baby changed his appearance to look as much like his godfather as possible.

"You must be Ginny," Andromeda said to the young redhead. "Dora showed me a picture of her and you together. She... she always spoke very fondly of you. She wanted to... once things calmed down a bit she wanted you to meet Teddy and to ask you to be his godmother."

Ginny sobbed and wordlessly asked Harry to hand her the metamorphmagus by extending her hands towards him. He put Teddy in her arms, and she cooed at him. "Aren't you a pretty baby bear? Your Gran, Harry and I will take care of you and love you very much. I promise."

Watching the woman he loved hold a black-haired baby in her arms did funny things to Harry's stomach. One day they'd have kids of their own. He just knew it. He vehemently desired it. But now, they'd content themselves by loving Teddy as though he was their own son.

After some more minutes of cooing, Ginny gave the baby back to Mrs Tonks and, after being joined by the Weasleys, they made their way outside.

At ten, the commemorative act began. It took place by the lake, near Dumbledore's tomb. Speeches were said, the dead ones were bid farewell, the warriors were congratulated and thanked and it was promised that, with time, everyone would heal. No, they wouldn't forget; they _shouldn't_ forget. What had occurred the night before and the last couple of years would be remembered, told and retold. Students would learn about the events that had taken place during those horrifying years. Tales would be narrated about what had happened during the war. And no other Dark Lord would ever be born.

* * *

Exhausted – both mentally and physically, but mainly mentally – the family of eleven made it to the Burrow. They placed themselves around the table in the kitchen, Mrs Weasley served some tea, and the golden trio began their tale. But this time, they did it in the right way. They explained _everything _that had happened from October 31st, 1981, up until the moment in which Tom Riddle fell to the floor, finally dead.

When Harry mentioned – some hours after lunch – how he had found out that he was the seventh Horcrux and that he needed to die, Mrs Weasley, Ginny, Hermione and even Ron began to cry – though the last one did it discreetly, while caressing Hermione comfortingly.

Then, Harry talked about walking to the forest, finding out he had the Resurrection Stone with him, talking with his parents, Sirius and Remus and finally welcoming death. Hermione, as brilliantly as always, pointed out that Harry was, in fact, the Master of Death and how, as such, he had greeted Death as an old friend.

"So, what is it like? To die, I mean?" asked George, worried about what his twin brother might have gone through.

"George!" Molly scolded him. She knew why he had asked, but that didn't give him the right to be tactless!

"No, that's ok Mrs Weasley. I asked a similar question to my parents, Sirius and Remus." In fact, his specific words had been 'Does it hurt?', but he'd only ever admit that to Ginny. "It was... scary. You know how frightening being in the middle of a war is, knowing that you can die any second. But actually knowing that you will stop living in a matter of minutes is..."

"Scary as hell?"

"Ginny, watch your mouth." The young redhead rolled her eyes at her mother.

"Is it like in movies and books?" asked Hermione. "With flashbacks from your life and such?"

"No really. Just one flashback." He blushed. He hadn't meant to say the last sentence out loud. It had escaped his lips.

"What was it about?" Ron asked when he noticed his friend wasn't going to volunteer any more information. Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair and looked at Ginny involuntarily.

Hermione, who had noticed Harry's discomfort as soon as he had shut up, scolded her new boyfriend "Ron! He clearly doesn't want to talk about it!"

Oh, Harry wanted to talk about it, but only with Ginny. He wasn't about to confess in front of all of them how his last though has been about kissing the youngest member of their family.

"Zo what 'appened next? Fleur asked, trying to change the subject.

Harry gave her a thankful smile and talked about his encounter with Dumbledore in King's Cross and shared the less private information regarding the aforementioned reunion. He explained how he woke up again in the forest and, fifteen minutes later, he finally reached the end of his never-ending story.

* * *

After the storytelling, Harry was finally free to do as he wished. He grabbed Ginny's hand and asked her to accompany him outside for a walk. They exited the house through the back door and began to stroll towards the orchard in which they used to play Quidditch. Once they arrived, Harry let go of Ginny's hand and lay on the grass. She did the same, only to find herself being pulled by Harry's arms towards his chest. They enjoyed the peaceful silence and rejoiced the fact that they were together once again.

The constant feeling of loss hadn't left them yet, but they were well aware of the fact that only time and love would heal them. They would never forget about those who had died, but after living in the middle of a war during years they knew better than to brood and mourn every waking and sleeping moment.

Don't get me wrong. They _would_ have bad days among the good. They _would_ cry and weep and wish Fred, Tonks and Remus and were there with them.

But not now.

Now, they would make up for the lost time.

"Before I died..." Harry began to talk, interrupting the comfortable silence they were in. Ginny raised her head to look at him, only to find her boyfriend staring at the passing clouds. "Right before dying..." he looked at her "my last thought was of you. Your sparkling eyes, your shiny hair, your soft skin, your enchanting freckles, your gorgeous face, your sweet, kissable lips against mine... You, my beautiful girl, make even dying bearable. I love you. I love you so, so much. You are my life. I want to spend the rest of eternity next to you."

"Oh, Harry! I love you, too. I've fancied you as far as I can remember and that silly crush I had in the-boy-who-lived developed into an undying love towards the real you. I'll always love you, Harry. Always."

"Someday, you'll be Mrs Potter."

"Ginny Potter." She chuckled. "I'm pretty sure I wrote _that name _at least a thousand times ever since I was five." She sighed contently. "I love you."

He took her face in his hands as though she was a delicate flower and kissed her softly but passionately, trying to transmit what words couldn't express.

* * *

Some hours after supper, Bill and Fleur returned to Shell Cottage. It was the first night they would spend in their home unafraid, wondering if by the next night they would go to bed as a widow or widower.

Percy returned to his apartment, but promised to be back the next morning before breakfast.

That left Mr and Mrs Weasley, Charlie, George, Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione to be accommodated in six different bedrooms. Obviously, Arthur and Molly would sleep in their room, which was placed on the fourth floor, but the six 'kids' needed to be distributed in the other five rooms.

George had already spent the whole second half of the afternoon in his and Fred's old bedroom, sitting among the boxes that contained old WWW products and looking over them, remembering good old times. Needless to say, George would spend the night in his room, placed on the second floor.

Charlie would also sleep in his old room, the one that he used to share with Bill and that was located on the third floor.

Hermione and Ginny didn't want to sleep alone, so both of them decided to share Ginny's room, the only bedroom on the first floor.

That left Ron and Harry. The first one slept in his room – placed on the fifth floor, – while Harry took over Percy's, which happened to be on the second floor, next to the twins' old bedroom.

Just like the night before, this one wasn't uneventful. In fact, you could say it was _more_ eventful.

The first one to wake up with a nightmare was Mrs Weasley. She saw what would have happened if Bellatrix's hex had hit Ginny and killed her. She dreamt about not only having to organize Fred's funeral, but also Ginny's. Molly woke up with a startle, panting. At least, she had Arthur to comfort her. Unlike George, she had someone to console her.

When said twin woke up, he had dreamt that Fred was dead. He looked at the other bed in the room to make sure that his twin was sleeping peacefully there, only to find out that his nightmare had not been just a dream but the painful reality. Obviously, he didn't fall asleep again until at least two hours later. Half an hour after waking up, he could hear someone – either Ginny or Hermione, but hopefully Hermione – walking up the stairs to the second floor and keep climbing up – yes, definitively Hermione. – Afterwards, he could hear someone else leave the bedroom next to his – obviously Harry – and make his way downstairs. He was probably thirsty and decided to go to the kitchen. On the other hand, George never heard Harry return to his room. The redhead decided he had probably had fallen asleep before the boy-who-lived had made his way up the stairs again. Oh, who mistaken was he!

He had been right in his guess regarding Hermione, though. The war hero had woken up because of a hideous nightmare consisting in Ron getting splinched, but unlike in real life, dream-Ron had lost his whole left arm and suffered a slow, painful death because of the never-ending bleeding. Hermione could feel tears streaming down her face and without a second thought, she made her way silently to Ron's room on the fifth floor, begging Mrs Weasley wouldn't wake up. She walked into his bedroom, glad that he wasn't shearing it with Harry, and got into bed with him carefully, as not to wake him up.

Less than twenty minutes later, Harry's nightmare began. He was in the Chamber of Secrets again. Unlike the real-life experience, in his dream he was seventeen and Ginny was sixteen years old. He had just battled the Basilisk and destroyed Tom Riddle's Horcrux. He ran towards his loved one and began to shake her awake, but she didn't respond. So he shook her harder, almost savagery, but her body reminded lifeless. He gripped her shoulders fiercely, refusing to believe what his eyes were telling him; refusing to believe that the one he loved so deeply was indeed dead.

He woke up horrified, convinced himself that it was a nightmare, and tried to go back to sleep. But he couldn't. He needed to make sure that she was okay and breathing. He needed to ensure that her heart was beating.

He got out of bed silently and tiptoed all the way to Ginny's bedroom, praying and begging that no one would wake up and notice him making his way to the youngest Weasley's bedroom. He slowly and carefully opened her door, glad that it didn't make a single sound. Just as silently, he made his way towards her bed and stared at her. She was lying on her left side, facing him. Her bedsheets were entangled behind her, for it was a warm night. She was using a pale green pyjama that was quite revelling and not revelling enough at the same time. The moonlight allowed him to see the freckles on her arms and legs; freckles that, if it weren't for the fact that he was still tormented because of his nightmare, he would wish he could count. Ginny looked beautiful and peaceful. Way to peaceful, just like in his nightmare.

Feeling like a complete moron, but a very scared moron none the less, he bent, placing his ear near her nose, glad to hear her breathing heavily. Then, still not assured enough, he took her right hand and pressed his index and middle finger against her inner wrist. After some groping, he finally found her pulse and exhaled, relieved.

Ginny chose just that moment to wake up and almost had a heart attack because of Harry.

"Merlin's beard, Harry!" she scolded him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," he said, letting go of her hand.

"You scared the living days out of me!" Then, she noticed his anguish. "What's wrong?" She asked, moving to make some space in her bed for him and taping the area she had just left vacant so he could sit down next to her. He sat down, accepting her offer silently, and answered with a single word: "nightmare."

She sat up and started to stroke his hair. When she noticed he wasn't going to offer any more information, she asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

He sighed heavily and began to tell her about his nightmare. "We were in the Chamber." She nodded, understanding. She dreamt about that ugly place a lot, too. "But we were the age that we are now. I had just... I had just destroyed the diary and ran to you. I tried to wake you up." He began to cry silently. His tears broke her heart. "I shook you time and time again, stronger each time, but you just wouldn't wake up. You... you were..." 'dead,' he meant to say, but couldn't.

"Shh... It's okay now. I'm here. I'm okay. We're okay. Nothing can hurt us ever again."

"I just needed to make sure you were really fine."

"I know. I understand. Come here," she said while lying down. He looked at her, confused. He was there, right next to her. "Lie next to me," she explained.

He looked unsure for a second, but she begged him with her eyes, so he accepted. After all, who was him to refuse her?

Carefully, he lay down next to her and, after putting his glasses in her night table, he held her in his arms. She curled up in his chest, giving him the opportunity to bury his nose in her hair and smell that flowery scent that he had missed so much. Seconds later, both of them were asleep. No nightmare interrupted their blissful sleep.

Two hours later – at about four in the morning – Ron woke up for no apparent reason, surprised by the fact that he hadn't had any nightmare so far. Without opening his eyes, he rolled to his side, only to find someone lying next to him. Startled, he opened his eyes to encounter a couple of beautiful brown eyes staring back at him.

"Hi. Sorry, I'll just..." she began to talk, with panic in her eyes.

"Shh..." he answered back, hugging her and pulling her closer. He kissed her forehead and, trying to sound nonchalant, asked, "So... what brings you up here?"

"I had a nightmare." He hugged her even closer and began to stroke her hair.

"Are you okay now?"

"Yes. I just... needed you."

"I understand, 'Mione. I need you, too. Always." She kissed his cheek.

"Do you reckon I should go back to Ginny's bedroom?"

"Only if you want to."

"I don't. But what if your mother catches me here?"

"She won't. She probably will send Charlie or Percy to wake me up."

"And how is that any less mortifying?"

"We're only sleeping, 'Mione. No need for anyone to make a scene. Plus, I have lots of blackmailing material on them. And with you here, I don't have nightmares. Please, don't leave."

"Okay," she whispered. She kissed him softly on the lips and went back to sleep.

* * *

Luckily for everyone –and I mean _everyone_ –Ron's stomach woke up with the smell of breakfast being cooked. He stretched and woke up Hermione, brushing his lips against hers.

"Mhhh," practically purred Hermione, opening her eyes. "I could get used to waking up like this."

He beamed and said, "Hurry, before someone comes to wake me up and notices you here."

She got up and went to the bathroom, while he kept climbing down the stairs all the way to the kitchen. "Morning, Mum."

"Hello, Ron. Breakfast's almost ready. Would you go wake up everybody else?"

"Sure thing, Mum."

He decided to begin with Charlie, who was on the third floor, then move to George and Harry on the second floor, only to finish with Ginny, whose bedroom was on the first floor.

His plans changed as soon as he noticed Ginny's bedroom door was open. How strange. She never slept with her door open. Had it been open before, when he had come downstairs? It probably had, but he hadn't noticed seeing as how he was still a little sleepy and very hungry. Maybe Hermione had forgotten to close it during the night when she had gone to find him.

He got in her bedroom and his eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing. His so-called best friend was in bed _with_ _his little sister. _"Oi!" he screamed, waking them up.

"What?" Ginny said, annoyed, while Harry tried to understand where he was.

"What is he doing with you in your bed?"

"What to do think? Sleeping!" she screamed as silently as possible, as Harry took his glasses from the night table. "Do you happen to know where Hermione spent the night?"

"Well, umm..." he blushed that distinctive Weasley blush.

"Now, don't be a hypocrite, Ron. What did you want, anyway, getting in my bedroom?"

"The door was open. You should be glad that Mum and Dad didn't notice when they went downstairs to cook breakfast." Harry and Ginny paled. He had forgotten about the door! He hadn't meant to spend the night here when he had come in, so he hadn't closed it. "Anyway, breakfast is almost ready. I'll see you in the kitchen," he said, and left.

Now, who said Molly and Arthur hadn't noticed Harry and Ginny when they went downstairs earlier that morning? And, mind you, Ginny wasn't the only one who noticed Hermione was missing.

It's not as though Molly and Arthur were happy with the idea of their younger children sleeping with someone. But Mr and Mrs Weasley shared one bed every night after all, and they understood the feeling of needing to be held after all the things they had been through. They knew the better dream catcher there has ever existed is the person you love. And as long as it remained as _only_ sleeping, they weren't going to complain about the new bedroom arrangements.

* * *

That day was somehow gloomier than the one before, as it was spent organizing Fred's funeral. They were all worried that George would lock himself in his bedroom but, surprisingly, he was the most active during the preparations, making sure that funeral was organized in the way his twin would have wanted it to be. The date of the burial was set for two days later.

After the most important details had been arranged and most of the family wasn't needed anymore, Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione made their escape to the backyard. They spent most of the time answering any question Ginny came up with regarding the year before and, in response, Ginny told them about her year. She tried to talk mostly about what happened in general with the school and the DA, without getting into much detail about her personal experience. Hermione had seen Ginny's injuries when they had been at the Hospital Wing, and she noticed that half of them were not recent at all, but the older witch opted not to talk about it and decided to wait until Ginny volunteered the information. And volunteer she did, but only to Harry and not during that group conversation.

Slowly, the topic of the chat changed to near-future plans. Hermione wanted to look for her parents and she planned to leave as soon as possible after Fred's funeral. Ron insisted on accompanying her to Australia. It would be their first adventure as a couple, just the two of them. When they mentioned this later that day during supper, Percy said that they should talk to Kingsley directly and that the Minister would see a Portkey was arranged for them. He also assured them someone would contact the Ministry of Magic of Australia so that they would receive all the assistance they may need.

Percy had gone to work that day. It wasn't – only – because he was a workaholic. The Ministry was a complete mess and as much help as possible was necessary. He had talked with Kingsley a couple of times that day. In one of those occasions, he had mentioned he needed to talk with the golden trio.

"In fact," Percy said, "Kingsley wishes to talk to the three of you about what happened during the year and how you made it possible to destroy V- Vo- Voldemort. He said he can wait if you are not ready to talk about it with him yet, but that he'd rather you didn't take too long."

It was decided then and there that they didn't wish to postpone the encounter and that they'd prefer to get it over with soon. They told Percy that they would go to the Ministry sometime during the next day. Then, they would visit Andromeda. Ginny insisted on accompanying them.

* * *

That night, everyone went to sleep in their respective beds.

This bedroom arrangement didn't last long.

Sometime during the night, Ginny had a nightmare about her last year at Hogwarts. The edges of her dream were blurry, but she could tell she was in one of the many vacant classrooms of the castle. Both Carrow twins were there. One held her arms from behind with such a strength that was sure to leave bruises. The other one performed on her time and time again a nonverbal spell that made painful bleeding slashes appear all over her body. She tried to scream and ask for help, but they had silenced her with a spell, so not a single sound left her mouth. She woke up with a jot, breathing heavily.

'It was only a dream,' she told to herself.

'Only a dream, my arse! It could have easily happened in reality if I had returned to Hogwarts after Easter Holidays.' The reality of it all crush her down like a bucket of cold water and tears began to stream down her cheeks.

Silently, she got out of bed, circumvented Hermione and tiptoed to Harry's borrowed bedroom. After walking in, she remembered to close the door. As Harry was scattered all over the bed, she had to push him slightly as to make some space for herself. While she was working on it, Harry woke up.

"Hi, love. Everything okay?" he asked, noticing a blurry redhead standing next to his bed. She didn't trust her voice so she only shook her head no. Harry made some space for her and, once she was lying next to him, he pulled her into his arms. This finally demolished the last wall Ginny had been hiding behind and she broke down in a full-blown weep.

Ginny hadn't talked with anyone about what she had gone through during the last year. The fear, the tortures, the hopelessness and the helplessness. The despair. The blood. Her own blood and others. Younger kids being tortured. The scared faces of the first-year students. The tiring, dangerous work of being a DA leader. Being held against a wall while an Unforgivable Course was cast at her. The fear of ending up crazy like Neville's parents. The concern for her family and closest friends, but especially Harry, Ron and Hermione, who were Merlin-knows-where.

She had so many reasons to have nightmares. So many horrible memories to recall and relive. She opened up to him completely. She told him everything. She cried in his chest and he cried with her, for the idea of Ginny having to go through so much hurt pained him to no end. It pained him more than his own bad memories.

"At least I wasn't alone. My first year... it was so horrible. But this year we were so many students against Voldemort and his reign. If it weren't for Neville and Luna... If it weren't for the DA... I felt despair and hopelessness. But at least I never felt loneliness. Don't get me wrong, I did miss you, but I never felt completely alone."

"Don't worry. I understand what you mean. I missed you dearly, but at least I had Ron and Hermione with me. Are you feeling better?" She nodded against his chest. "I think you could do with some hot chocolate. Or would you rather sleep?"

She pondered her options for a second. "Hot chocolate."

As the blinds were down in the bedroom, they didn't realize that they had been up for hours and that the sun had already made its appearance. Breakfast would be served in about half an hour.

Meanwhile, on the fifth floor, Ron and Hermione were sleeping together. The later had heard Ginny wake up and some minutes after the redhead's departure, she had joined her boyfriend. The fourth-floor bedroom was empty. In the third floor, Charlie was sleeping soundlessly. One of the warm beds from the second floor was inhabited by George, while the other one was being abandoned by a raven-haired boy and a red-haired girl, both who had red eyes and irritated cheeks because of all that crying. Finally, in the stairwell that connected the third and the second floor, Mr and Mrs Weasley were making their way to the kitchen.

Oh-oh. From the outside, it was a pretty funny scene. As Harry and Ginny walked out of the bedroom, the parents looked at them dumbstruck. The teenagers had the appropriate expression for such a situation: the one that reads 'caught red-handed!' and 'Earth, swallow me, please,' all in one.

"Hi," Ginny squeaked. "We were going to get some hot chocolate. Is it breakfast time already?"

Molly opened her mouth once and closed it before opening it again and answering, "I was going to begin to prepare it in a minute."

That's when she noticed both kids looked tired, puffy-eyed, and as though they had been crying during the whole the second half of the night. "Are you both all right?"

Harry shrugged noncommittally, but Ginny answered, "Better." Better than the day before. That was progress.

"Let's get you both that hot chocolate, shall we? But why don't you stop by the bathroom to wash your faces, dears? It will make you feel better."

They both agreed and practically run to the bathroom, glad to have survived, but wondering if it was just the calm before the storm.

After taking turns to use the loo, the couple made their way downstairs, looking like two scared puppies. They sat down at the table, where two cups filled with hot chocolate were already waiting for them.

"Listen to me, you both," said Molly, as soon as they sat down. She had a wooden spoon in her hand, which only made her scarier. "We will accept your new sleeping arrangements, but only with one condition."

Ginny and Harry looked at her open-mouthed. They couldn't believe it! Molly and Arthur didn't like that those two were sleeping together – they'd better be only _sleeping,_ – but they were willing to accept it for the sake of those two, as it was obvious they needed each other.

In fact, they were willing to accept it for the sake of those _four_. Molly had checked Ginny's room in their way to the kitchen and Hermione had not been in it. It was more than obvious that she had spent the night with her youngest redheaded son again.

"I don't want any funny business under my roof," she continued her speech.

They blushed and muttered "No," and "Of course not, Mrs Weasley."

"And you shall sleep with the door open." They nodded eagerly. "Good. And Harry, I think we are way past the Mr and Mrs Weasley thing, don't you agree? We love you as a son, darling. I believe Molly and Arthur will do," Harry relaxed visibly and smiled at Molly.

"I love you both, too." He had never told them that before, but a death experience changes a person's attitude towards life. He had been so close to dying and never returning; never being able to tell them how much they meant to him. "I really appreciate everything you have done for me all these years. After everything I put you through... Being so close to me put you in so much danger –"

"Nonsense!" Molly interrupted him. "You saved my life, Ginny's, Arthur's and Ron's. We will forever be grateful."

"That's how it works, son," Arthur spoke for the first time since they had met on the second floor. "We are family. We take care of each other and we love each other. We truly consider you one of us."

Harry smiled and Ginny kissed his cheek. She couldn't help it. He looked so cute! And she loved him so much.

"Are you done with that, Harry? Ginny?" asked Molly some minutes later, referring to the hot chocolate.

"Yes, Mrs – Molly." It was going to take him some time to get used to it.

"Yes, Mum."

"Would you go to wake up everyone else? I believe Hermione is in Ron's bedroom."

"Is she, now?" Ginny's eyes shone with mischief while she smiled like the Grinch.

"Ginny, be nice. You go wake up Charlie and George. Harry will take care of Ron and Hermione."

"Yes, Mum," she said, pouting.

They ascended the stairs silently, Harry processing the second half of the conversation they had just had with Molly and Arthur, and Ginny allowing him to do so. She knocked on George's door and proceeded to walk in while Harry kept climbing up the stair until the last floor. When he arrived at his best mate's bedroom, he took a deep breath, knocked on the door, begged those two were presentable and opened the door as noisily as possible.

"Ron, Hermione, wake up. Breakfast is almost ready."

His best friends' faces were priceless. They both blushed just like Weasleys do and jumped away from each other, for they had been spooning while sleeping. Harry began to laugh and Ron frowned at him, while Hermione blushed even darker.

Upon giving him a better look, Hermione exclaimed, "Harry! You look horrible!"

"Why, thank you, Hermione! It's nice to see you, too!"

"You know what I mean! Did you sleep at all last night?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I think I slept for about four hours. Maybe five."

"What happened?" Ron asked, concerned.

"Nightmare."

"That bad?" Hermione asked.

Harry wriggled uncomfortably and said, "Ginny had a nightmare. A bad one. And she... She came to my bedroom..."

"You slept together _again_?" Ron asked enraged, clearly forgetting that he was being a hypocrite.

"What about the both of you? And for the record, no, we didn't _sleep_." Ron reddened in anger. Was he implying what he thought he was implying? "We stayed awake for hours while she talked to me about her year at Hogwarts." His voice lowered progressively and his face twisted in pain and grief. Hermione looked at him in understanding and got out of bed, while gesturing Ron to do the same. "Oh, by the way, we are allowed to sleep together as long as the door stays open. And seeing as how Mrs Weasley knew that the both of you were here _together_, I guess this also applies to you."

"She knew?" Hermione asked, horrified and pale. Harry only nodded and exited the room without uttering another word.

When Ron and Hermione arrived at the kitchen minutes later, Molly, Arthur, Harry, Ginny, Charlie and George were already there. Ginny smiled at them evilly and the newcomers blushed. Luckily for them, none of the older Weasley siblings were in the mood to make a joke about the fact that they had just arrived together to the kitchen.

During breakfast, the golden trio decided that they would tell Kingsley the whole truth, including the Horcruxes. There was danger in somebody else deciding to do what Tom Riddle did, but they had to trust the Minister with the truth. After all, one of the points of history was learning from past mistakes, and maybe the knowledge of the risk the Horcruxes stood could prevent the creation of another Dark Lord. Also, the whole Wizarding Wold deserved to know the truth. To know who they had fared, fought and lost loved ones too.

Once they were done eating, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny got dressed and used the Floo Network to go to the Ministry of Magic. The first thing that the golden trio noticed was that the Magic is Might statue had been removed. Where the monument that degraded muggles used to stand, now there was nothing. A new statue would be built there in the future to commemorate the war heroes, but there were more urgent things to take care of at the moment.

They went to see Percy, and he took them to meet Kingsley. He greeted them as old friends; as though he was not the Minister but just a member of the Order of the Phoenix. The reunion with Shacklebolt was long but concrete. They explained what had happened during the last couple of years, told him about the Horcruxes and finally moved to the topic of Ron and Hermione going to Australia. It was decided that they would leave in three days.

Once they were done with this, Kinsley presented Ron and Harry with a proposition. "I remember McGonagall telling me that you both wished to be Aurors. Right now, the office is taking anyone who fought in the war and wishes to join them. It doesn't matter if you didn't pass your NEWT levels. And complete Auror training isn't necessary. We'll just focus on whatever you're lacking. Either way, you have more fieldwork than half of the Aurors. Neville Longbottom, Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein and Parvati and Padma Patil already accepted my offer. Half of them said they will resign once things get calmer, for they are tired of fighting. The offer extends to you too, Hermione, but I guess you probably want to return to Hogwarts and finish your studies." Hermione nodded.

"I'd love to join you. But I need some time to... I don't know." Harry said.

"Grieve," the Minister answered. "It's ok. Why don't you come back in say... two weeks and I can get someone to show you around the headquarters. What about you, Ron?"

"I... I don't know. I'd love to help. I know many of the Death Eaters escaped after the war. But I'm also tired of this. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks, when Harry comes."

"Very good. I'll see you around, then. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny. A pleasure to see you. Say hi to Molly and Arthur for me, will you?" The teenagers agreed and left Kinsley's office so he could keep working.

Once they arrived at the Burrow, Charlie had already left. He had volunteered to help rebuild the castle so that in September there was a school for the young witches and wizards to return to. Less than an hour later, they ate lunch and left to visit Andromeda and Teddy.

They helped Mrs Tonks with the final details for her husband, daughter and son in law's funeral, which would take place the day after Fred's, what is to say in two days. While doing it, they kept Teddy entertained. Harry even changed his nappy – got peed in the face twice, – fed him and got him to fall asleep! He was sad because of Remus and Tonks' death, but enjoyed having Teddy in his life and finding out that he was good at taking care of him. He could see what Andromeda meant when she said Teddy kept her entertained and alive. Ginny fell in love with him, too. Little did they know that someday Teddy would call Ginny and Harry 'Mom' and 'Dad,' showing the couple how much he loved them.

After supper, they returned home exhausted. Harry noticed how the Burrow had actually become his home. He loved this place almost as much as he loved Hogwarts. He had never felt unsafe there.

The four youngest members gathered in the living room. Hermione and Ron sat down on the floor to play chess – Ron was still as unbeatable as ever – while Harry sat in the sofa with Ginny curled up sideways in his lap.

Seeing as how Ginny and Harry had barely slept the night before and it had been a long day, they were both worn out. So, it wasn't unsurprising Ginny fell asleep. When Harry noticed this, he decided it was bedtime. He bid his friends farewell and stood up with Ginny in his arms. He made his way to the stairs, and although he didn't see them, Molly and Arthur watched as Harry tenderly took Ginny upstairs bridal style as if she didn't weight more than his old school bag.

Once he was in Ginny's room, he placed her in bed, ran to his borrowed bedroom to dress in his PJs, used the loo and returned to his girlfriend's bedroom before she had time to miss him. He got in bed with her, took her in his arms and fell asleep almost instantly. No nightmares bothered them that night.

* * *

The next two days were very sad between Fred's funeral and Tonks', Lupin's and Mr Tonks' funeral. The Weasleys, Harry and Hermione attended with their best black robes. The mourned the dead and had horrible nightmares, even though they shared beds. But it also gave them closure. After all, there's a reason why they say funerals are for the living and not for the dead.

The day after Teddy's parents and grandfather's funeral, only six days after the Battle of Hogwarts, Ron and Hermione left to Australia. But before the couple's departure, something very funny happened. The Weasleys laughed so hard! They would have never guessed they could be laughing like this so soon after the end of the war. But Harry's face and looks were priceless.

It all began that very morning. All the Weasleys reunited to have breakfast. It was Friday, but as the Wizarding World had been mourning, nobody had gone to work that week – except for the most important Ministry employees, such as the Minister, Percy and the Aurors, and those who had volunteered to fix Hogwarts, such as Charlie.

By the time Percy, Bill and Fleur arrived, only Charlie and George had woken up. The last two knew of the new sleeping arrangements, although they weren't happy with the idea of Ginny sharing the bed with someone, even it that someone was the saviour of the Wizarding World. They didn't voice this out loud, though. They knew better than to go against Molly's and Ginny's wishes.

Percy, Bill and Fleur hadn't known about it though. Charlie updated them while Arthur and Molly were distracted. None of the brothers seemed happy. Bill, in a moment of brilliance, suggested that maybe they should welcome Harry to the family in the proper way. After all, if he was going to be a Weasley, he had to look like a Weasley.

This seemed to get George back to life. A wicked grin appeared on his face and he said, "I know what you mean."

While Charlie and Percy went to Ginny's and Ron's room respectively to wake up the youngest members of the family, George and Bill sneaked into the bathroom.

George was a brilliant wizard who had decided to use his brains for pulling pranks instead of something people like Molly and Hermione would have considered more productive. After a couple of complicated spells and charms, everything was set. The showerhead had been enchanted to recognise black hair and put the plan on motion once a very special raven-haired boy decided to take a shower.

They hurried back downstairs and waited excitedly. One by one, Ginny, Ron and Hermione joined them in the kitchen. Harry had had some horrible nightmares the night before and had sweated quite a lot. This is why he decided to take a quick shower before breakfast.

Around ten minutes later, they could hear someone walk down the stairs and before showing himself, Harry said, "Very funny, guys. How do I get rid of this?"

"What do you mean, cousin Barny?" George asked, using the fake name he had been given during Bill and Fleur's wedding. All the Weasley brothers who were in on the joke were having a hard time holding back their laughter.

"Oh, I think you know what I mean." He walked through the kitchen door and every person in the room, except for Molly, began to laugh. "Ha-ha. Very funny."

"Welcome – to the – Weasley family," Charlie said in between his guffaws. Harry just rolled his eyes, while trying not to smile or laugh, for all this howling was contagious and Charlie's words were quite warming. His eyes locked in Ginny's and he couldn't help but beam at her. He was really happy to see her laugh so hard again.

He was happy to see them all laugh, even if it was at his expense.

"Oh, well," he said while sitting down. "I don't think red hair suits me."

"Everything suits you," Ginny said sweetly. Ron fake-gagged and Ginny threw him a piece of bread.

"Now, there's no need to lie to him, Ginny," said Charlie, causing some snickers. Ignoring him, Harry turned to kiss Ginny good morning – and to irritate her brothers – but before his lips could touch hers, she got away from him. "I'm sorry, I can't kiss you while you look like a Weasley."

"Okay guys," he said, turning to glare playfully at the boys, "This stopped being funny. Get my hair back to normal."

"I don't know Harry," Bill said, "I rather like you like this."

"Redheaded and snogs-less," Charlie specified and everyone but Harry, Ginny and her parents laughed rather loudly again.

"Enough," Molly said, silencing the room. With a single movement of her wand, Harry's hair was back to normal.

"Thank you, Molly," he said, smiling kindly at her.

"Now you look even better!" Ginny said and, once again, everyone chuckled.

Harry lent towards Ginny to kiss her, and this time she kissed him back. He purposely ignored everyone and began to serve himself breakfast with a huge grin on his face. Ginny murmured in his ear, "You have a death wish, don't you? You make us Gryffindors look bad. We are the house of the brave and bold, not reckless and stupid!"

He laughed and beamed at her.

Just as softly as she had, he whispered, "I love you. And just for the record, you are reckless too."

She giggled and nodded.

The Weasleys had gone back to chatting after Harry's infuriating kiss, but they couldn't help but shut up and stare after listening to Ginny giggle.

_Giggle_!

Ginny didn't do such a thing as _giggling_. That was way too girly for her.

"What?" She asked when she noticed everyone had stopped talking and was intently looking at her. "Can I help you, guys?"

They shook their heads, self-conscious and Hermione beamed at her.

Her brothers were impressed. Harry and Ginny clearly loved each other. The Weasley men were very overprotective and didn't wish to see their baby sister with anyone. But, if she was going to date someone, it'd better be Harry, someone they trusted – and knew where to find if he harmed her – and not some perverted boy. She could do _way_ worst. In fact, she couldn't do better.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too. I always will."

They loved each other.

They had each other, a beautiful family and friends.

Time would help them heal.

All would be well.


End file.
